Pitt County Board of Commissioners District 5

What is your current job and title?

Senior Teaching Instructor at East Carolina University

What is your highest level of education?

Master of Arts in English, creative-writing concentration.

If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority? Why?

My top concern is strengthening our public schools, by giving more support to our teachers and funding necessary repairs and upgrades to our facilities.

If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?

I intend to be open to the ideas of my constituents and will try my darnedest to explain my thinking.

Why should voters choose you for the position you're running for?

As a writing teacher, I've had students research fake news and conspiracy theories. I teach students how to think critically, how to find reliable sources, how to identify unreliable sources, and how to recognize the many ways thinking can go wrong. In a time of concocted outrages and pervasive misinformation, we need more people in government who can recognize facts.

Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?

I’ve lived in Pitt County all of my life, except for a few years at UNC Chapel Hill.

I've lived in District 5 for two decades--in an apartment off Arlington, a condo off Charles, a starter home in Canterbury, and now in our Windsor house.

I think most people want to live in a forward thinking, tolerant, and compassionate community that can boast strong public schools, resilient programs for the disadvantaged, robust recycling and renewable energy resources, a vibrant arts community, and ample opportunities for entertainment and recreation.

Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters?